IT was, in many ways, the perfect dress rehearsal; a night when Evertonians came for an early glimpse of what season 2009/10 might hold.

The running was hard, the passing was occasionally slick and the defending was stout as David Moyes gave his ‘A’ team their last run out before the serious business starts a week from now against good-class continental opposition.

And there, in the middle of his back four, was Joleon Lescott, the man whose future has been the subject of much debate in recent weeks and who many wondered whether he would be seen in a Blue shirt again. Lescott may have indicated his desire to leave earlier in the week but anyone who expected him to receive a hostile reception were wide of the mark, as those congregated in the Gwladys Street let him know he still had a place in their affections.

The loudest cheer during the announcing of the teams was saved for Lescott, while his was the only the name sung before kick-off, an emphatic declaration that these supporters do not want him to abscond down the M62.

With City infuriatingly persistent in their attempts to land the England international, this saga is sure to have another scene that will be played out before it reaches a conclusion but, purely in terms of football, one wonders why the switch is even being considered.

They may have lavished £100m so far during this window but - try and put an impartial hat for a second - who would you back in a straight shootout between City and Everton at this moment in time?

A dressing room filled with a lot of egos or a dressing room united in a common cause? A team struggling to find a style and whose manager might not last if results go askew or a team filled with players who know the job their manager has asked them to?

Yes, City might have the potential to do fine things but they also have the potential to implode quite spectacularly and if you harbour ambitions of playing in a World Cup, would it not be better to use a stable club as your platform?

Certainly on the evidence with which we were presented in the first half, you would pick Everton over City every time; the speed of their passing and movement was better than at any point so far in pre-season.

Malaga’s wretched start was undoubtedly down to them only arriving at Goodison 35 minutes before kick-off but even if they had got to the ground in plenty of time, it’s unlikely they would have been able to cope with Everton.

Picking the side that is likely to be as close to the one that starts against Arsenal in seven days time, Moyes was rewarded with a display full of verve and vibrancy and it was no surprise when Everton took the lead on 17 minutes.